


Water and Ice

by Cantatrice18



Category: Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, F/F, First Love, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-01
Updated: 2011-07-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 22:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/217835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ami helps Berthier adjust to her new life away from the Darkmoon clan. Ami feels a deep attraction towards the other girl, but with Berthier just beginning to learn how to trust people, can Ami tell her how she feels without scaring her away?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Water and Ice

Berthier blinked as the pink light faded away. She shivered slightly – the room still held traces of ice where she had attempted to end her life and that of those around her. She felt arms encircle her waist and stiffened before realizing that they belonged to Koan. Her younger sister was crying again; Berthier felt an unfamiliar wave of guilt wash over her as she saw the cuts on Koan’s face and body. She held her sister closer, and noticed the sailor senshi surrounding them. Her fighting instincts cried out for her to fend off an attack, but she saw that the senshi were smiling at her. Their sailor uniforms disappeared, leaving them dressed in everyday clothes and looking far less threatening. Usagi put a hand on her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “This is going to be perfect! We’ll help you find a new life as a human, Berthier, one that’s loads better than your old life ever was.”

Koan nodded. “Usagi and her friends helped me when I needed it. They’ve treated me better than anyone in the Darkmoon clan did. Rei has even let me stay with her until I can find a place of my own.”

Rei nodded, but looked embarrassed. “I’m afraid that there’s no way Berthier can stay with me, though. Koan is in the only room I have, since Yuichiro is still recovering.”

The other girls looked around at each other, and there was an awkward silence. Berthier blushed. “It’s alright. I’m sure I’ll be able to – “

“You can stay with me,” Ami said quietly.

The other sailors stared at her in surprise. “But your mom,” Makoto said hesitantly, “won’t she object?”

Ami shook her head. “She’s at a medical conference in China this weekend. And I’m sure she wouldn’t mind. She always encourages me to spend more time with my friends instead of studying.”

“Boy, I wish my mom did that,” Usagi said wistfully.

“You don’t need much encouragement to slack off,” commented Rei. Usagi squeaked and started to protest, but stopped when she heard a soft voice behind her.

“Are you sure?” Berthier asked, looking at Ami.

Ami nodded, and their eyes met. “I would be honored to have you in my home.”

Berthier was silent on the walk to Ami’s apartment. The other girls had split up as soon as they’d left the tower, heading towards their own homes. She had reluctantly let go of Koan’s hand and followed Ami through a complicated maze of streets. By the time they reached Ami’s building Berthier was shivering. The evening was chilly, and she was unaccustomed to the cold: her power over ice had always kept her from feeling any temperature changes. They took the elevator up several stories, and walked together down the long hall to Ami’s door. It swung open to reveal a small two-room apartment. The living room and dining room were combined, with the kitchen set off to one side. The bedroom was tiny, a queen size bed taking up most of the space. The apartment was spotless, and looked as though Ami and her mother spent very little time there. Ami quickly heated up some leftover stew from the night before, placing a steaming bowl in front of Berthier. Noticing the girl’s trembling, she walked to the bedroom and returned with a thick blanket. She handed it to Berthier, and the girl muttered in thanks. She was staring down at her stew as if she was not quite sure what to do with it. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything fresh,” Ami apologized, “I don’t usually get home in time to cook, and so leftovers are sort of a staple.”

Berthier looked up, startled. “Oh no, this is fine. I’m just…I’m not used to eating very much.”

Ami inspected Berthier’s thin form. Koan had looked similar when she’d been transformed into a human, but had gained some weight in the weeks since. Hopefully Berthier would do the same. They ate together in silence. Ami’s thoughts were drifting when Berthier stopped suddenly, dropping her spoon with a clatter. Turning to look, Ami found Berthier eyeing her cautiously. “Why did you do this? Why transform us into humans? We tried to kill you – I tried to kill you.”

Berthier stopped, remembering the battle at Chess Tower and her cruel manipulation of Ami. She had placed an impossible puzzle in front of the girl and told her that solving it was the only way to save her friends. Ami had tried valiantly, even as she was slowly encased in ice. Another pang of guilt hit her and she looked down at the table, unwilling to meet Ami’s eyes. “By all rights you should have killed me. I nearly murdered your friends in front of you. How can you forgive me for that?”

Ami sighed. She’d been expecting the question sooner or later; frankly, she barely understood herself why she’d forgiven Berthier. During the battle that afternoon she’d certainly despised the girl - Berthier had toyed with her like a cat playing with its prey before devouring it. Yet even during their standoff Ami had wanted to help her. Berthier had seemed incredulous that friendship and loyalty even existed, and Ami knew how she felt. Just a year ago, she might have agreed with Berthier. Her world used to be so isolated – without any friends, studying took up all of her time. Her mother loved her dearly, but was always working at the hospital. Until she became Sailor Mercury, she’d had days where she didn’t speak to anyone at all.

“You were lonely,” Ami said quietly, and Berthier looked up in surprise. “I know how that feels, and I wanted to show you that trust and friendship really do exist. Sometimes, you just have to wait for the right person to come along.”

Berthier blushed slightly, but seemed to relax. Ami cleared the table of dishes and the pair settled themselves on the couch. They talked of normal things, exchanging stories. Berthier had lots of questions about human life, and about Ami’s life in particular. Ami responded with questions about Berthier’s upbringing in the Darkmoon clan. Her suspicions were confirmed: Berthier’s sisters were extremely competitive, and though she loved them they had considered her a rival. Rubeus and the other clan leaders had treated her like a servant. There had been no one for her to bond with, no one there for her when she needed help or even just a shoulder to cry on. Ami felt her compassion for the young woman growing. She noticed how any mention of the other three sisters made Berthier look away, and how she blushed when she thought about her attacks on Ami and the other sailors. Ami noticed other things, too: the way Berthier’s blue eyes sparkled when she spoke of chess or puzzles; how a tendril of hair had slipped out of her braid and draped itself over her ear; the redness of her lips against her pale skin. The girls had gradually drawn closer together on the couch until they were sharing the blanket. Berthier looked up at Ami, and Ami could tell she was struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened that day. “And to think, I might never have learned anything about this world. I would never have gotten a chance to meet you.” She hesitated, then moved even closer to Ami “I – I’m very glad that I’ve met you. You’re the only one to ever know these things about me. You're the only one who's ever even wanted to know. I'm not sure why, but I trust you.”

She looked into Ami’s eyes, and Ami couldn’t help herself. Leaning forward she kissed Berthier lightly, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin. She saw Berthier’s eyes widen and leapt back, letting the blanket fall to the floor. “I – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to –“

She stopped, unable to formulate sentences. Berthier hadn’t moved. Ami backed away from the couch, only stopping when she reached the door. “I’m, um, going to take a walk. You are welcome to sleep in the bedroom.” Realizing how that might sound, she added hurriedly, “I’ll take the couch.” She ran from the room, shutting the door behind her with a slam.

Berthier slowly raised a hand to her lips. The numbness was wearing off and her thoughts began racing. Ami’s kiss had made her entire body tingle, and her thoughts turned to her life in the Darkmoon clan. Koan had made no secret of her infatuation with Rubeus, and Calaveras constantly competed with her for his attentions. Petz had renounced men, but there was no doubt that she had a history with them. Only Berthier had seemed immune to their appeal. She had stared long and hard at Rubeus, trying to see what made him attract so much admiration, but her thoughts always turned to calculations: the ratio between his shoulder width and height, the proportion of muscle density to body fat, et cetera. Nowhere had she felt any of the physical attraction her sisters claimed. She thought they must be exaggerating – Rubeus ranked higher than them, so his power must be what made him desirable. And yet when she’d met Ami she’d been captivated by her. She’d thought at first that it was only because of their similar interests, but her mind wandered back to the kiss… Ami was so sweet, so open and kind. She’d taken Berthier in even after they’d fought in a battle than nearly killed her and her friends. With anyone else, Berthier would have been mistrustful and on edge, but she had no doubt that the kiss had been brought on by Ami’s true feelings. Ami was incapable of deceit; that was what made her beautiful.

Ami walked only a few paces down the hallway before stopping and leaning against a wall. How could she have been so stupid? Berthier was just learning how to trust people, and Ami had ruined that by letting her feelings for the girl get in the way. Inadvertently, she began thinking about the beauty of Berthier’s body: her long, supple neck; her elegant hands, moving chess pieces as though they were her closest companions; her petite stature, only an inch taller than Ami’s yet so much more delicate. Ami longed to run her hands over Berthier’s smooth white skin, and realized with a jolt that she would never be able to. She had betrayed the girl’s trust. Closing her eyes, she resolved silently to convince Rei that the sisters should share a room together at the temple. Berthier needed someone to rely on, and that someone was clearly not Ami. Despite her best efforts at suppressing her emotions, a single tear rolled down her cheek. She froze as she felt a light hand brush the tear away. Berthier stood before her, smiling timidly. “Please don’t cry, Ami-chan. There’s nothing to cry about.”

Ami looked down and muttered hoarsely, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me, I –“

Berthier silenced her by placing a finger on her lips. “I’m not sorry. On the contrary, you’ve given me an incredible gift. I finally understand why I’ve always felt so alone. I thought I was a freak for not feeling anything towards men. I thought I was incapable of emotion, of desire, and I shut myself away because of it. Now I know that I was just waiting for the right person.”

She leaned forward, but Ami backed up, pressing herself against the wall. Berthier’s eyes grew wide and her face fell. “Oh…I’m sorry…I never thought you might not feel…”

Ami shook her head emphatically. “It’s not that. It’s just - are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of you, like I did back there.”

Berthier relaxed and she smiled a bright, genuine smile full of warmth. “I’ve never been so sure. And if you’re not careful, I’ll end up being the one who takes advantage of you.”

She leaned forward, confidently this time, and her lips met Ami’s with unexpected passion. Ami hesitated only a moment longer, then relaxed into the kiss, deepening it and wrapping her arms gently around Berthier’s waist. Berthier broke away first, her head coming to rest on Ami’s shoulder. They held each other close, as if scared the other would disappear. Then Ami smiled and, taking Berthier’s hand, led her back into the apartment.


End file.
